Corn harvester



' April 7, 1925.

y ,l l1,533,080- D. G. scLANDERs E'r AL CORN HARVESTER mi mum lyHIIIHUII Filed Jan.'` 2o, 1920 s sheets-sheet 1 April 1,1925

D.' G. scLANDERs ET An.

CORN HARVESTER v Filed Jan. 2o, 1920 Sheets-Sheet 2 /VVENTORS April 7,l925- A 1533,03() D. G. SCLANDERS ET Ax..

v com: HARVESTERn l Filed Jan'. lzoJ 1920 s sheets-sheet s UNTED STATESrssacse PATENT cerros..

DAVID G. SCLANDER-S, OF WEENEN, AND MERVY-L S. SPARKS, OF KLIP RIVER,NATAL, SOTH- AFRICA.

CORN nanvnsrnn.

Application filed January 20, 1920. Serial No. 352,705.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, Davie G. SoLANDEns and MnnvYL S. SPARKS, subjectsof Great Britain, and residents of lVeenen and Klip River Counties, inthe Province of Natal, Union of South Africa, respectively, haveinvented certain new and useful mprovements in Corn l-larvesters; and wedo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others srilled in theart to which it apperta-ins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in u corn harvesters and moreparticularly to that type in i'hich the ears of corn are removed fromthe stalks while the latter are standing in the field,-one object of theinvention being to so constructa corn harvestmaohine that means shall beprovided for guiding the blades, resist lateral strain to which theblades might be subjected; and so that said guiding means shallcooperate with the blades to produce a shearing action to removeportions of co-rn stalks which may have been detached with the ears of.corn.

A. further object is to so construct and mount the blades and. form andarrange the guiding means that the hooked and pointed ends of the bladeswill be the last portions of the latter to pass between the members ofthe guiding means and thus avoid jamming, and to utilize said guidingmeans to direct the ears of corn to conveying means.

A further object is to provide a corn harvester which will operateeffectually to remove the ears of corn from standingstalks, convey theears to and deposit the same into bags, and remove Aextraneous matterfrom said ears before the ears enter the bags.

With these and other objects in view, the invention in certain novelfeatures of construction and'combinations of parts as hereinafter setforth and pointed o-ut in the clain'is. 'l

ln the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a plan view of acorn harvesterembodying our invention; Figure 2 is au elcvation showing one side ofthe machine; Figure 3 is an elevation of the other side of the machine;Figure 4 is a separa-te View of one of the double blades; Figure 5 is asepview of the blade shaft, and Figure 6 isl a view showing one of thespacing collars 16 and one of the guide bars mounted thereon. 'Y y 1represents suitable framework, to one side beam 2 of which a bearingbracket 3 is secured and affords a mounting for the axle of a sideground wheel t; Near the'.

opposite side of the frame, the axleof atrae-- tion wheel 5 ismounted'in suitable bearings on beams 6, 7 of the fra1nework,-thetraction wheel being disposed between said beams 6, 7. i p

Brackets 8, 9 are mounted upon and secured to the beams 2 and 6 of theframework and to these brackets journal boxes 10, 11 are secured, andafford bearings for the cylindrical portions of a shaft 12,-the majorportion of said shaft being'angular (preferably square) in crosssection. The shaft 12 carries a series of double p ing hub portions 11i,the latter` having openings 15 which are the same shape as is the' crosssection of the shaft so that said double blades will be rotated bv saidshaft. The blades are spaced apart by means of collars 16 having'openings-to conform to the shape of the shaft 12 and having` cylindrical peripheral portions. u vEach member of each double bladeisprovided with a curved free end portionV 17 and these curved portionsare made` tapering and pointed at their extremity as indicated at 18.The portion 1f? at one end of each double blade is curved in a'directionreverse to that of the portion 17 at the other end,

and the curved'and pointed portions at respective ends of each blade areadapted suc-` cessively to remove the ears of lcorn from the stalks asthev blades rotate. The ears Aof corn so removed from' the stalks willbe carried upwardly by the blades and deposited upon a series ofguiderbars 19. The upper portions of these guide 'oars are curved as at2O and the free ends of these curved portions are formed into loops 21which freely embrace the spacing collars 16 so that the latter mayrotate freely within said loops of the guide bars whenthe shaft 12 andblades 13 are-rotated. From the .curved portions 20, the guidebarsincline downwardly and rearwardly as at 22,` and at the lower' ends ofthe inclined portions, the guide bars are curved downwardly as at 23 and`then rearwardly in an inclined direction'as at 2&the rear end portions'Y2%. being secured to abeam 25'near blades 13' havthe rear end of theframework. It will be observed that during a portion of the rotarytravel of the blades, they will pass between the spaced guide bars andthe latter will resist any. lateral strain to which the blades may besubjected during such portion of the travel of the latter'. It will alsobe seen that the curved and pointed end of a'blade Y member will be thelast to enter between the guide bars and that these curved and pointedportions will pass between the lower curved portions 23 of said guidebars andr'rfromr which `theears of coi'nwill be discharged, and thusjamming of corn on the guide bars will be prevented. Should portions ofstalks be removed with theears of corn andV deposited upon therguidebars, the blades, co-

,operating with said guide bars,.will produce' a shearing action Awhichwill cause removal of the-portions of stalks from the ears ofcorn, andthese stalk portions will drop be tween the guide bars and becomedeposited upon the ground.

The guide bars 19 serve, not only as guides for the blades but,collectively, form a discharge platform on which the ears of. corn arevdeposited,and by which they are directed to Va conveyor 26 near therear end of the framework. l

Forthe purposevof rotating the shaft 12 and thus operatingl the blades13, a gear 27 is secured to the shaft 12 and lreceives motion', throughthe medium of gears 28, 29,

yfrom a large gear 30 rotatablev with the traction vwheel 5. Therotation of the blade shaft12 may be controlled by means ofv a clutch81, one meinberof which may be carfV ried by the ygear 27 and the othermember slidingly. keyed to said shaft and operable by means of a handlever 32. i

A beam 33 is secured tothe framework parallel with the beam 25 andrspaced therefrom for the accommodation of the conveyor Y 26. A gear 34is `rotatable withthe traction 'wheel 5 and transmits motion to a bevelpinion 35 on one end of a shaft 36the other 'end of said shaft beingconnected, through gears 36, ilgowith a pulley orr roller 3T over whichthe conveyor 26 passesand by which motion is imparted to said conveyor.V

`The ears of corn falling upon' the conveyor will b e delivered by thelatter to an inclined elevating conveyor 88 and the shaft of the upperroller 39 over which latter this one'bag while a filledbag is beingremoved and replaced by an empty bag.

A. blower 47 may be provided to discharge air through a chute i8 andafford a blast of air at the entrance end of the hopper 4ta to removeany chaff or line particles which may be discharged from the conveyor38. The

blower may be driven from the blade shaft *Y 12,-the latter having alarge pulley i9 secured thereto Vand operating to transmit inotion,through` a belt 50, to a small pulley,

51 on vthe blower shaft. v o

Vith the use of our improvements, the

ears ofA corn will be removedV from the stalks regardless of the heightof the latterland eventhough'the stalks may be bent over so as to nearlylie upon the ground. Y

In Aorderto avoid the possibility of theV ears Yof corn. being thrown bythe blades, past the guide bars, we'may provide a hood, such as shown at52.V

' Various changes might be made in fthe details of construction of ourinvention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting itsscope and hence we do not wish to restrict ourselves to the yprecisedetails herein set forth. Y p

Having` fully describedour` Vinvention what we claim as new and desireto secure by .Letters-'atent, is

1. In a corn harvester,y thecombination i with framework, of a pluralityof shearingy blades revoluhly mounted thereon and aphi- -rality ofAguide bars between which said blades are movablel and *upon which thebladesvwill deliver the severed ears of corn,

said blades and guide barsbeing so relatively disposed that shearingact-ion, ymay be f k.produced during the movement of the blades betweensaid guide bars. v

2. Ina corn harvester, the Acombination with framework, of a pluralityof shearing` blades revolubly mounted thereon, anda plurality of spacedguide bars between which said blades are movable, and with which` theyvare cooperable to produce shearing action, said. guide bars extendingrearwardly and. downwardly'approximately from the axis about which saidblades revolve and from the innerend portionsof said blades.

3. In av corn harvester, thecombination with framework, Vof a shaftmounted thereon, means for rotating said shaft, a plurality ofV doubleblades located ybetween their ends on said shaft and rotatabletherewith,

and lguide bars extending rearwardlyand los' ii'o

downwardly approximately from the axis of rotation of said shaftandbetween which `guide bars the blades are movable,l the'upper,v portionsof said guide bars being sufficiently near said shaftY to insure thefalling of the ears of corn upon them. 4 `4 4.' In a corn harvester, thecombination withfframework, of a shaft'k mounted thereon', means' forrotating said shaft, aplurality of blades carried by and projecting fromsaid shaft and spaced apart, and a plurality of fixed guide barsextending` rearwardly and downwardly approximately from the axis ofrotation of said shaft, said guide bars being spaced apart to permit thepassage of the blades, the upper portions of said guide bars being'sufficiently near said shaft to insure the falling" of the ears of cornupon them.

5. ln a corn harvester, the combi ation with framework, of a pluralityof spaced blades, means for rotating;` said blades simultaneously, andan inclined discharge platform comprising a plurality of spaced guidebars, between which the blades are movable, the upper portion of saidplatform being sufficiently near the axis of rotation of the blades toinsure the falling` of the cars of corn onto the same from the blades.

(3. In a corn harvester, the combination with framework` and a shaftmounted thereon, of a plurality of double-ended blades carried by andprojecting' from said shaft and rotatable therewith` each double endedblade being curved and pointed in one direction at one end and in thereverse direction at the other end, spaced guide bars extendingrearwardly and downwardly ap proximately from the axis of said shaft andbetween which guide bars said blades are movable, the upper portions ofsaid guido )ars being sufficiently near said shaft to insure thefalling; of the ears of corn upon them, and means for rotating),` saidshaft and blades.

7. n a corn harvester, the combination with farmework, a shaft mountedthereon,

and means for rotating said shaft, of a plu-I rality of spaced bladescarried by said shaft,

a plurality of spaced ,guide bars between which said blades are movable,each `guide bar having a curved upper end terminating' at one endadjacent to said shaft and each guide bar having an inclined portionextending, rearwardly from said curved portion and having` a downwardlycurved portion at the rear lower end of said inclined portion.

8. In a corn harvester, the combination with framework, of a revolubleshaft mount-v ed thereon, a plurality of blades carried by and rotatablewith said shaft, a plurality of collars between said blades androtatable with the shaft, a plurality of guide bars 'spaced apart andpermitting?,` passage of the blades between them, said guide bars beingsecured at their rearlowerends to the framework and having loops attheir forward upper ends, said loops mountedv freely on the collars onsaid shaft, and means for rotating said shaft. l

9. In a corn harvester, the combination with framework, and a revolubleshaft, of a plurality of shearing blades carried by said shaft, aninclined discharge platfrnunV through which said blades are movable andin cooperation with which said blades may have a shearing action, saidplatform textending rearwardly approximately from the axis of saidshaft, the upper port-ion of sai( platform being sufficiently near :saidshaft to insureA the fallingof the ears onto the same, and mea-ns forrotating' said shaft.

l0. ln a corn harvester, the'combination with framework, of a revolubleshaft mounted thereon, a plurality of `blades car ried by said shaft, aplurality of fixer guide bars extending;` rearward from said shaft andspaced apart for the passage of the blades, a conveyor onto which saidguide bars discharge, an elevating conveyor communicating with saidfirst-n'ientioned conveyor, a hopper into whichsaid lelevatino conveyordischarges, a blower discharging at the upper portion ofthe hopper, aground wheel, and gearing actuated by saitL ground wheel for rotatingthe blade shaft and operating said conveyors and blower.

ln testimony whereof, we have signed this specification in the presenceofrtwo subscribing witnesses.

DAVID Gr. SCLANDERS. MERV YL S .K SPARKS. lVitnesses Y W. S. Honor, R.S. FERGUSON.

